It's A Guys World Here

I came on the scene twenty some years ago.....because my hubby wanted to share his passion of flying with me.  That is how I came to find the place I belong, aviatrix, bud, devilish trouble maker, instigator of fun and the entertainment keeper of our barn aka hangar at Bermudian Valley Airpark.

He encouraged me to learn to fly, knowing I would eat it up before I even knew...How did he know I would? Because he said you like challenges and it's fun, hun...hey that rhymes...

It's a guy's world at our airport...I changed the stereotype of our home base, the first woman and only woman that wanted to be by my hubby's side and he still loves having me by his side...at least I'm sticking with that ha! I say that as we are unique in our almost 30 year marriage of being best friends and we share and have the same passion, flying ..I am one of the "guys".  That is what I like the best...no one cuts me any slack and I wouldn't have it any other way.

The first few years and first 300 hundred hours of flying or so - I was mostly skeered to death....I would stare at the wind sock and if it was just blowing the least bit I would say "maybe tomorrow", you see the wind was a challenge to me...I would see my buds flying and it would bother me as I wanted to be flying with them.  So, little by little I would move the line of comfort a bit and while I would grip the yoke of our Aeronca Chief in a death grip I would force myself to fly. If you could imagine this, surrounded with guys (my friends mind you) and they would egg me on....and well I had to be their equal, I wanted this as the raw beauty of our world from above was mine to snag....peer pressure at its finest not meant to be mean, just how it rolls at our home base.

We decided in 2003 it was time to think about buying a plane with electric start for me.....and behold my partner in crime ~ named "Girly Plane" by my buds a 7GCAA 150 hp Citabria.  She was brought home to join our family and once again I had another goal to learn how to fly my new plane........and the ante was raised as my buds would raze me about it's ability and yet I was still timid and a newby pilot with a cool plane.

I stumbled with Girly Plane, it was faster than my 65 hp Chief and the first few years were a challenge but, I wanted this! Then one day it just clicked. I was a pilot, I felt as if we were one, she held me carefully and let me test my self imposed limits, I busted through and rose above in the air to meet the joy which was unseen, yet I tasted it. I belonged here, my free fall into freedom...I could fly.

I would love to go to the airport and practice, practice, practice....my hubby would always say to me, you probably have the most landings of anyone I know.  I wanted to be good, I needed to prove to myself I had the ability to be a good pilot....when the bar is raised you need to rise and meet it.

Our barn is where I find arms that wrap around me and instill in my deepest part a peace that sometimes is hard to describe, although I feel it deep and my breath is shallow while my eyes take in the view that I never tire of seeing.

It's a guys world at our airport ...AND I'm okay with that....I like hanging with guys, we raze each other and in fact my hubster is one of the worst....but, I dig it...I have my own strong willed confidence and it can't be shattered. It's a struggle for some of the guys...I am even steven and when they throw out a challenge, well I'm IN.....I love to smack them down...yes I admit I have an ego and well, it works here....no tiny tears baby girl, just forge ahead to who you are...be true to yourself and ride the wave. Those that tag along snag your enthusiasm and those that fear it run...stay true..be you.

Why do i like to fly?....it is the freedom thing of getting in the air and being free to do what i want with my plane...I do as I please and it's a confidence builder, although those that know me well, say I have too much confidence, it's not something I really understand, what is too much confidence??? It's simple, I am ME.

The view, my gawd the view out of the window is spectacular at all times and no matter what the weather, it never ceases to amaze me what I am seeing...how lucky I am.  It is exciting on each flight and to be able to share this excitement with a chosen few is a favorite part of my life...my hubby and my close buds... I don't have many I let into my inner circle who understand my flying "language" the GAGA I bestow upon those that will listen, it's a special place I harbor my deepest feelings as being held by the air is understood by only others of like sickness.

I am most comfortable with flying...I feel comfortable with the people, airplanes and well our "barn"  is home to me...I relax the most when I am at the barn, but more so when I am in the sky where I forget the everyday issues and wander the sky where I feel most at ease in the raw beauty gifted for me to see.

While this flying world might be dominated by men....its a mans place here and I belong here, fit in here and I am home here...and the best compliment is when I hear them say...she is one of the "boys" and it doesn't hurt when I hear in the confines of this mans world, by my close buds, a good stick....respect.

It is for me I float above, it is for me that I want to share this amazing flying art, it is for me that I strive to explore, it is because of him that I found home and he happens to be setting beside me....how lucky I am.


I have lifted my plane...for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth into the air without knowing the uncertainty and the exhilaration of first-born adventure.
Beryl Markham

Special Day - A Keeper

If you just opened this, please read it and "LIKE" as I was late to the Ladies Love Taildraggers contest and need votes...as you roll your eyes..c'mon!!!  I'm desperate...;-)

My story is about the people that are part of my life journey relating to flying.  I have so many memories that lay embedded inside me and like a photo album only I can see the visions that I have created and only I can picture these slots of memories the way, I remember them...I want to share this special day with you.

This year, it came upon me fast, my vacation over Thanksgiving 2013.  For for some reason this time I wanted to have company.  Most of my vacations are me and girly plane flying solo, yet I found myself in a funk this time....being at the airport just wasn't the same lately.  I knew it would be best if I could spend sometime with my buds as our time together always encompasses laughing, busting on each other, and appreciating the wondrous act of flying. They get my extreme passion, call it an addiction and they understand my excitement for flying, it's who I am;  My longing to be at our hangar no matter what the weather throws down, this place always seems to wrap her arms around me and I instantly feel at home.

This trip was all Gene's idea. Gene happens to be my oldest friend, 88 years old, a force of nature who is tough, has great life experiences, great stories and whom I love spending time with. He mentioned he wanted to visit Anne Fichere who lives at Kentmore Island Airport a small grass strip located near Bay Bridge airport and in his great fashion to sway me, he said Anne mentioned me and said she was hoping I might visit again...Gene is smooth tugging on my weakness.."flying" and it took me all of 30 seconds to say "I'd love to take you". Our pact made we agreed on an early departure from our home base at 07N Bermudian Valley Airpark.

Gene is not as nimble as you and I might be and after a bit of me pushing on his ummm... rump, yes I said rump, contouring his legs around the stick we were set on this cold yet severe clear morning to take to the sky. Headset - check, stick clearance - Gene " hey - you're hitting my belly, easy" - kinda check LOL...well suck it in Gene. Yes, I actually said that, and he laughed his great laugh. Lastly, Gene asked for my map, he likes to follow along, so I handed it over and plugged in my tablet with the flight plan and Gene yelled out the time and we took off over a truly amazing morning where just a  slight mist was still laying low over the ground.

Flying with Gene is a good time for me to be reflective, focus on the course, check the amazing beautiful sky, as we are comfortable in our silence, that's how our friendship seems to flow. Gene, yells out - we've been up 42 minutes, "what's our ground speed"? 81mph Gene, winds are out of the East, as soon as we get around Aberdeen we will gain airspeed, and we sure did, up to 115 mph.. and we were on track to be on time for our lunch date.

We decided to try to find a few grass steps along the way, Gene has diabetes and his legs bother him quite a bit, this helped him/us to pass the time..Gene would shout out a few markers to look for and we actually found quite a few... must be my lucky passenger.

We landed and taxied right up to Anne's house... sweet Anne...I was introduced to Anne two years ago when her husband Joe a spry 92 years old had just completed Anne Morrow Lindbergh's 1929 Bird and Gene was helping to certify the Bird at the time, he had asked me to fly him down so he could help Joe with the paperwork.....sure I said, twist my arm.....make me fly you.

I can remember vividly how they were so excited to show us the Bird the first time.  Joe insisted I sit in Anne Lindbergh's seat..oh I don't know?...his eyes lite up and the joy of seeing him share his love affair of restoring her over the last 10 years, was captivating and I was truly spellbound.... I mean how unbelievably cool to have a love affair and be able to share his story with us and eventually he would fly her. I was most happy that he was able to complete what he had dreamt about for years before he was called to the heavens in early February.....I can still see him smiling with a twinkle in his eye and telling me again to climb up and sit in her seat...as I slid down into her seat, I could not get over that this Bird was one of the most beautiful artistic planes I have ever seen...a real genuine piece of history.

Anne Lindbergh and her most telling remark was to believe "if you surrender completely to the moments as they pass, you live more richly in those moments". 

It was whispered that perhaps the Bird was heading to a museum this past summer and Gene mentioned he thought Anne would love a visit, so I called Anne and asked if I could bring a few buds to see her...a resounding YES, please come visit!! In my fashion of always organizing our "boys" flying trips,  I rounded up the troops and it is one of my favorite memories that I treasure, for various personal reasons.

Anne told me that she was planning on being in the Bird when it arrived in Blakesburg.  The plan was for her to hop in the front seat in Ohio and fly the last leg to Blakesburg with the pilot..,. I said you have tooooooo!!!!  she laughed, I suppose I do, don't I?

The Bird took off from Kentmore for the journey to Blakesburg this year and upon reaching Ohio, it ground looped upon landing, thankfully no one was hurt, but the Bird was damaged... and now she is sitting in a hangar...a project that once again needs to be repaired.

So why are we here today, you might ask? To visit sweet ( just turned 84) Anne and hear the real story about her Bird... We drove to the marina for lunch, Gene and I had our hunger focused on oysters and Anne shared the story on the Bird.  Here I was with two people in their 80's listening quietly to stories of days gone by and memories of their own spilling forward and I am reminded that they were young once with dreams, goals of their own....making me realize that I had this very moment to live and I shouldn't waste a minute.  This journey for each of us is a one way trip on the train of life and we should live it fully...we each have our own dreams and no one should have to give up anything to forsake their own journey.

When we sit down for lunch, I let our guest order first... she says "I'd really like to have a glass of wine", but it's only 11:30am.. my response - go for it! I love the way Anne thinks !!

As we head back to Anne's house I notice a table with all kinds of goodies.... Anne - I think I need to come back for some of these homemade treats....she insists on bagging up them up and I promised to stay in touch and visit again.

Now it's time to venture back home our bellies full and I tell Gene of my plan to fly up over the Bay Bridge, over Martin State directly home bound, and truth is he wasn't too keen on that idea.... That is allot of water he said...AND you know all the engine noises we hear over water...gheez Gene!?!....he had to say that didn't he...... I remembered the first time I went home this way by someone else's suggestion... I was nervous, although I would never admit that to him... now it was easy peazy...I told Gene it will be fine. We could almost see China flying home and it didn't hurt we had a tail wind all the way home....ahhh home base, doesn't that sound cool rolling off your tongue, when you see out in the distance the tree marks which surround the grass field that house's my serenity, my barn, my joy where my heart belongs.

This past weekend Gene delivered a thank you note from Anne, along with an invite to return to Kentmore to see her.. it is something I will definitely plan on this Summer...c'mon Summer I have plans..

I am in awe of many things....Yet the deepest part of my soul is most satisfied sitting above our world in quiet splendor flying.

Pictures:  1. Delaware Canal  2.  Bay Bridge  3. Inner Harbor, Md  4.  North of Inner Harbor, Md   5. My favorite picture - me and Joe and his Byrd

The Goodbye

I am not a good friend he told me and this time it was true....

I have a deep rooted passion for flying my plane, actually any plane, talking about planes, and most of all hanging out with my buds at the airport.

It's something my hubster digs. He says it's so cool that I love to be with him at the airport.....I am one of the lucky ones, a girl to boot- that fits in with the crew...what a crew we were.

You must have broad shoulders to be at our airport, be able to laugh easily, have equal ability flying and willing to learn and ask questions of the mechanics of flying...my buds love to share their knowledge...and well I found where I belong and love to learn.

This year brought a lesson to our airport that was not expected.  I am not accustomed to losing friends and this year I lost someone I held in my inner circle with high regard.  Life has a way of presenting trials to you when you least expect it and your expectations often have to adjust......something I have problems with and well frankly I didn't like about 2013.

Being forced to re-evaluate behaviors and actions of someone whom you thought you knew well is a hard task and can be gritty to the core...probably one of the hardest "life" lessons I have had to deal with.

The "crew" is no more and trying to move on with the realization that it is what it is and there is really no chance of turning back...is not something easy for me...truth - it's weird and sad at the same time for me to understand how we got here.

It's simple, I miss my 'once' good friend...forcing things are never good....I'm sorry this friendship had to end...a word we both agreed we would never say....I don't deal with drama well, I am not fond of elephants showing up at my hangar and I can't tap dance for the life of me.  I am and will always be one who shows all she is on her sleeve, a straight shooter and exceptionally strong willed and loyal to a fault.

I'm also slow in learning life lessons because I want what was, a weakness of mine...it takes me awhile to figure things out...this friendship really ended a year ago....when he was told to end our friendship because we were buds, I really can't understand this, but, that's my problem.....The end.

"Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It's not something you learn in school.  But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything." Muhammad Ali

"I think if I've learned anything about friendship, it's to hang in, stay connected, fight for them, and let them fight for you.  Don't walk away, don't be distracted, don't be too busy or tired, don't take them for granted.  Friends are part of the glue that holds life and faith together.  Powerful Stuff." Jon Katz

EGO or RESPECT

I had a conversation with a friend I used to be close with some time ago and I said there are two things about pilots (forget the gender) one they have and the other one they want; What are they, I asked?

He knew the answer as I did and I said you name one and I will....and he said pilots have an EGO and I said they want RESPECT.

EGO- The self of any person as thinking, feeling, and willing and distinguishing itself from the selves of others...conceit; self-importance.

RESPECT - a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities or achievements.

My friend Gene, whom I respect told me recently that "we pilots are a unique breed"...I agree.

Introspectively I have realized I can sometimes..ok truth, most times be goaded into having my ego pants show up...by falling into the need to prove myself to the boys.  I hate to admit this, but my hobby, flying, is mainly comprised of the other gender.  It does not surprise me that they bust on me and my flying capabilities.  I have a habit of being very playful and my personality is such that fair is fair.....I have this strange personality trait called confidence that drives them insane as I always say I am "even steven" with you guys and I mean it!!  It's a curse, a good one don't you think?

I have noticed that we do run the gamut of all different types of pilots..... Some with loud egos and others with quiet egos....and then there are the confident pilots...I prefer the latter..the pilot that has already proven him or herself and feels no need to share all of their accomplishments.

Those are the ones I respect, it is easy to when they quietly share flying stories with you and are not in the least boastful.  The graceful art of flying in itself is pure art and does not need to be boastful.

The older generation is quietly this way and I have noticed our generation isn't.  Something I don't like about my generation.  I will admit that, truth be told, I have at times fallen into "I need to prove myself" and yet I know I should step aside and let my abilities be the proof.

Flying is just what I think of as part of what I do, to be authentically who I am.  I fly because it’s the most difficult and most natural thing I’ve ever done in my life.  Unaware that just the suggestion by my hubby over twenty years ago, I found my way into this flying fever on my own and I realize this hobby has forced me to discover myself.

My fellow aviators will sometimes show me their whole heart, the only way they know how, through our common language of flying.  Some days just trying to express what we were trying to hold on to, holding our heart in our hands.  So afraid that the dream of flying could be dying that you might not even see that it is right in front of you.

The key is my friends, that flying is not just ours.  I know it’s so tempting to lock it up, and hold it captive in your hangars, and protect it because it’s so beautiful.  But the only way that it can survive is to share it, talk about it, and keep it alive, in its natural environment, in our hearts.  We can’t guard the dream, but we can be the caretakers of it.  We can raise up this universal spirit of freedom found in flying that we hold so dear, and know so intimately.  But first we have to embrace that we are a flying family, one collective heart stitched to one word…WE

I want to say that I chose this hobby, yet I must admit, it chose me....it forces me to be aligned to some really great people that I am friendly with and yet with only a few very close buds will I open up with and the passion for flying rolls off me..I literally eat it up, breath it out and hunger for it each day. Only my closest buds get me through and through...because they also have the fever that I have. My keepsake of our "brotherhood" of which I belong and am accepted.......it feels so natural.

There is a difference with having confidence or having an ego....do I present myself in the way I speak about above, not always...something I need to improve upon. 

So let me share with you what I crave.. "RESPECT" from my fellow aviators, period!....I believe while some of my buds will never admit this to me...I do have it.  How do I know this? In the way, they converse with me about anything flying, how they will fly with me, that's trust and respect in itself...those that are part of my circle realize and see the firelight that I have, flying is what draws us together, our like minds and it doesn't hurt that I am a good "stick"...shucks, there is that confidence again....;-)

I've always believed the lure of flying is the lure of beauty. - Amelia Earhart













..

I

The Barn - Deep Rooted

The question that my buds always ask of me..

Why are you always here?  Because I belong here.

Why do you belong here?

Because it is where my heart is.
 
It seems so simple to me this humble little spot that has captured my heart. Our home base, located in Kralltown, PA is located in a small farming community and houses our barn -  (aka hangar). To the average eye, it might appear to be a drab metal building located on a grass airstrip, surrounded by corn fields and look quite plain to a stranger, yet she wraps her hands around me the minute I arrive and when I breath in I am immediately home. 


It may seem a bit strange to some, perhaps not with the aviators I know. I have this longing I wear around my neck to always want to be near Girly Plane and the airport.  The sense of comfort and belonging in this place completes the puzzle that I am.  This "barn" houses our heart with a wide spread longing which is deeply rooted as a place to walk in, hang out, and tell stories.  We are a family of sorts, some are closer than others and I treasure what we have created in our "barn". 

This passion for flying has taken over my being and is something that drives my spirit with purpose.  I feel it in the flow of my veins and upon waking and knowing I am heading to the airport I am instantly on fire with energy, enthusiasm and zest for the ability to be able to be a bird.

This week I was able to fly for breakfast with a good bud and it was the most magical, spectacular day when we embarked south.  Peaceful and serene from the view above which is like no picture your eyes might ever see.   We were only a party of "one", and as my bud says a gaggle or party of a few planes is always so cool to see depicted in the sky, don't you agree? The more buds flying equals great stories and laughter.

When we returned home to our "barn" I set in my chair to enjoy the quiet and look at MY tree.....yes, I have a tree that I watch closely throughout all of the season changes for hours and hours.  It has been a staple view in my mind, this tree, reminds me that time really does seem to click away on the calendar of life.  On this day, I watch leaves slip away to land on the ground and I am reminded that another season is on it's way where the days are shorter, colder and already I am longing for the warmth of longer days and the summer.

Have you ever just sat and enjoyed the quiet in a special place?

I wish you could feel the passion I have for this place, perhaps you might understand a bit of it through my eyes, at least that is my hope when I share my thoughts. I love so much about the aviation community.. No, we don't all know each other; may have never met or live in the same community, but we are a community of like minds. When are paths do cross we are always able to bond easily and converse. 

This spot houses my heart of feelings of flight that cannot be measured by any ruler....if you could sit a spell I would be able to show you the beauty I speak of, the quiet rustle of the dried corn stalks and whoosh of the trees are what I focus on today while watching the hawks soar over the trees and it is the pure beauty of flight which fills my heart as if it might burst.

It is during the quiet of the night slipping away and I know it is time to leave, yet my feet are rooted to the ground just gazing at the sky...my peaceful barn where my heart belongs, it is the deepest part of my heart that only can be felt by me and it really is the purest meaning of truth.

This humble little spot in the country gives me peace and happiness, always has, always will. My hope for you is for you to have a quiet, special place of your own.

I leave you with a favorite quote of mine:

Pilots are a rare kind of human. They leave the ordinary surface of the world, to purify their soul in the sky and they come down to earth, only after receiving the communion of the infinite - Jose Maria Velasco Ibarra, President of Ecuador

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A BIRD- THE BEGINNING

Even though I look up daily to the heavens and pine for the sky and her calming embrace...somedays your feet need to stay on the ground.

This past weekend was such that we knew we would not be able to fly and yet we made our trek to our hangar at Bermudian Valley Airpark.  We are based at a small grass strip and the rain gods decided to camp out over central PA for quite a few days which left the field knee deep in water.

If you are taking the time to read this you should know from my prior posts that I hunger, dream and simply have a need to be a bird.  It's not such a bad thing if you too have the same affliction, as a matter of fact you might understand my words best.

I am fortunate to be able to fly my Citabria which I call "Girly Plane" most weekends, and then some. This past weekend I reflected on how this happened, how my affliction started while sitting at our hangar, affectionately named the 'barn' by our granddaughter Sammers..

It was him, his challenge to take a lesson that made me jump into our Aeronca Chief with our instructor over 20 years ago. Him being my hubster - Barry who had just received his pilots license and I asked him one day "what is all of this fuss about flying"? It is his fault that I need to a bird!!  It is only him that knows....when I land I can look at him and say nothing and he will say "I know, it was cool, right?"...and I simply nod my head.

It didn't come easy to me, understanding the nuances of flight, tail wheel flying, the E6-B, and the equations schamtions...yet when I sat in her and we floated off the ground I was mesmerized, and spell bound by the sheer beauty of our world from above and scared to death at the same time.  Really!

The day I soloed was amazing, my instructor Steve told my hubster that he was cutting me loose and I will never forget the view from the plane when my instructor jumped out and Barry was running down the taxiway after me waving.....I had finally made the leap and I was grinning from ear to ear....I was finally a bird by myself....just remembering it is a WOW for me...as I'm sure it was for you.

So, for the next year we would trek to the airport while I took my lessons and hubster would come with me and afterwards we would discuss the lesson and I would ask a bazillion questions.  I practiced and practiced because I wanted to be good at this thing called "flight" as any pilot does.

The day of my "check-ride" was unnerving and stressful, take a moment here to capture your memory of your day...we all have that ingrained to never leave our mind.  I always over study, especially for this exam and I can remember asking the examiner on downwind "did I pass" and do you know what he said.....depends if you do one more good landing?? funny AND yes I passed. The day I became a pilot the real lessons began as I was a newbie, cautious and quite scared if there was the slightest wind and worried to death I might get lost.  Here I was, I had a plane and could simply take off to soar around the hills and I stayed in the box around our base airport for the first 250 hours or so.  Then one day, it happened....it clicked, I relaxed and enjoyed just being a bird.

I went onto get my commercial ticket in Girly Plane about 9 years ago and that was so much fun, the drills, precision in depth awareness and focus of knowing your plane and being one...yes I said being one with a plane.....c'mon you know can relate.

Fast forward to the here and now, after many hours of practicing learning and actually thinking now that, hey I actually am an aviatrix...it really is an amazing feeling that I can't quite articulate the emotions of how flying and soaring above settles me, makes me focus on the act itself and I can simple be.  I am fortunate that my hubster and I enjoy the same love of flight along with a few buds, we have made a "home" at the barn, where we prefer to be rather than our "real" home....weird you might say, but, I/WE are SO okay with it.

The most powerful emotion is when you can break people wide-open when you fly with them and they glow.  You can see their face, the broken words of them trying to describe how amazing it is to them.  Where they forget about what is down there and they have escaped to nirvana...this is what I love sharing the most, a pilots nirvana.

The measure of living your life courageously, deeply, artfully, is embracing the fact that each minute, each second should be lived and we should all find our "nirvana" that hits you at the core of the deepest of your soul. 

Wow - I kinda went off the deep end.....it's real and it felt good, it's how I feel.

I leave you with a quote that conjures up what my heart feels;

I have lifted my plane...for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth into the air without knowing the uncertainty and the exhilaration of first-born adventure.
-Beryl Markham
















 

How MY failed flying trip turned successful..

They invited me, they badgered me, they told me I MUST come! The Ohio Bush Pilots group are aviation enthusiasts to the core...we connected quickly and the plan was for me and head honcho Judy from LLT (Ladies Love Taildragger's) to go and finally meet "face to face".  The "boys" were thrilled we were coming...at least they told us that...:-)

I'm thrilled to belong to this group of LLT members as we share flying stories, pictures and adventures.. I SO dig that!

If it includes Girly Plane, I'm ALL about that....passion has a funny way of rearing her head and I easily follow.  What is it that drives you; what makes you giddy....tell me tell meeeeee....

Trips and adventures go hand in hand and for me it's my steadfast curiosity that gets me excited to explore the wide open sky...or really anything. Just ask my buds I'm always asking questions...

So this past week I did my flight planning for the trip West to the OBP fly-in...check, packed Friday morning..check...cleaned and spiffed girly plane...check... Installed new muffler shroud's -  me, myself and I.. had my mechanic look over all approved....check...step back a minute...I am super proud of installation...even steven with the boys...hehe....I love  wrenching, helps you understand the mechanics of plane a big plus if you are a pilot, I really encourage you to do a "hands on" annual with your mechanic.

Okay, now where was I....Oh -Adventure day - I rise and shine early, rush to the airport and sit for 4 hours....sigh....we are totally socked in the weather gods have decided to make me learn patience.  So, I check weather about 100 times on my phone and make the call. 

My one bud reminds me that I came out to fly so get going! Big day for us, never been this far West and I'm beyond excited to meet everyone and see some cool planes.

So, I pack her up and ready-set-go I decide to let my bud know I'm on my way...my signature wing-ova his house...after a low pass....Btw- if you tell anyone I won't confess to this...;-)

I climb to about 3500 feet and ahead of me is a very, hazy sky with clouds higher than I am. I wasn't in the least bit skeered only a wee bit cautious as I continue ahead to unchartered territory...for gods sake I sound like I'm in a horror movie, funny, but each trip I make is another notch towards accomplishment ,skill, and learning and growing.

The further West I get the bigger the mountains seem and suddenly the lower the clouds appear to be as they gently tug and skim my wings and the visibility ahead is now getting skunky. So I say "girl" what do you think and ever so slowly she rolls to the left and I coax her around and head East. I'm not disappointed...truth, I'm relieved. As PIC "pilot in command" or BIC as my one bud calls me...trust me you should know what that stands for. It is up to me to make the call and flying can be dangerous itself if you don't heed the cautious undertone you might feel. Listen, no amount of ego is good to have when our hobby is thrilling in itself when we are in the air, right?

It's at this point I realize I'm once again starving, weak and thirsty for a beer...why do I always seem famished and dying to have a beer after I fly?

It is now becoming quite turbulent skimming these rather large beautiful, colorful mountains, I decide to make this an adventure anyway and go land at a few new airports. Hagerstown is up first and as I crest the biggest range of all I look down and I am looking at acres of quansi huts covered in grass and probably one million military vehicles. Well maybe I'm exaggerating, but its a lot.  I grab my map and seriously, I mean seriously I think I can't be near Camp David?!? I look at my GPS to verify and it goes blank and now I am freaking out, I kid you not!

Okay, breathe, think..wait Hagerstown is West of Camp David c'mon girl!...so, I follow my compass East and decide maybe just maybe I need to click my shoes three times and go home.

As I fly over a small grass strip located in Shippensburg, Pa I realize it's been a long time since I landed there, so I do and make a bee-line over the South mountain and head home.

While, flying this last leg, I realized I might have failed at my attempt to get to OBP and meet new friends but I was successful in my resolve and decision to go home as I had that underlying "gut-feeling". I will have another opportunity to meet these fine folks and Ms. Judy had the same issues and made her own decision to not go due to the weather.

My first call when I land ALWAYS goes to hubby/hubster and I told him I decided tonight to sleep in your bed....lol.  His reply "well I have quite a few calls to make"' damn it- I said what for? He had planned a boys party with the infamous Kralltown girls...seriously? So, needless to say, the party was cancelled, I had to drive to get something to eat and ended with a beer in my hand while writing this.  LG - life is good.

May you have clear skies and successful endings.

Pictures depicted below are;
1.  leaving home 2. Mountains to the left..left...3. In awe of our amazing sky 4.clouds ahead 5. House in colors 6.military base where I was skeered...

Salt of Earth

I have heard it said if someone is called Salt of the Earth - they are pure, real.....I don't know if that's true. I do know that very few people appear to be.

One such good "bud" is Gene Breiner whom I have known for over 25 years....he is soon to be 88 years old and he never slows down.  He has had the "flying bug" for his entire life...and I love spending time with him.....it is SO simple his life experiences and wisdom draw me to have "talks" with him often....He laughs when I call him during the week to "check in" - yes I'm a mama nudge and he understands why.

There are few people that have a special place in my heart...and he is definitely one of them.  You see I don't let many into my fold, my deepest place...do you? Amazingly, I am drawn to people that are playful, quick witted and most of all who like to have fun with a intelligent angle to them.

Gene and I often talk about our shared passion for flying, life issues and what concerns we might have and often I will ask his advice when I am troubled. He has the most interesting way of looking at 'life'.

On a personal level I had a very sensitive issue with a good friend that has been most troubling this year and he has given me some great insight unto this issue and while I had to figure it out for myself...it's nice that I could share my thoughts with Gene where no judgment's were proclaimed.

Now back to my Salt of the Earth bud - Gene spends a lot of time with us and he told us of the history of a one bladed prop owned by Jessie Jones Elicker who herself is an amazing aviatrix 89 years young...but, that story will need to wait for another day.  She wanted to see this propeller from her father get airborne again...and Gene could make that happen.

He put this one bladed prop on his 1936 J2 Cub to show people that yes indeed a plane will fly with it mounted on...he loves to share - here is something that most of us have never seen on a plane, a one bladed propeller.

Gene pursues his need to initiate conversations/thoughts/discussions and he loves to showcase anything aviation...and well I love anything and everything that is associated with aviation...sometimes to a fault....although Gene will say no fault in finding a passion and loving it.

So, Gene put on the prop and flew it at a local fly-in located in Lockhaven called Sentimental Journey this year and boy did it get attention, just think it's only half of what you might see as a prop normally has two blades. 

Last week he decided he needed to put this one-bladed prop on his J-2 plane again and he came down to our "barn/hangar" and we chatted a few hours...about this and that..are you getting this?? when you can sit with someone and just listen and share and be?

He looked up on the one side of our barn and noticed the end of one of our big propellers from a Stearman and he wanted to know if he could borrow it.......let me tell you why: he wanted to fly his J-2 with the one bladed prop to a breakfast fly-in to Gettysburg and drop it out of his plane and shock everyone and land with only one blade........and boy did we both laugh...yes, we pilots can sometimes have a weird sense of humor.

So, he flew his J-2 plane to Gettysburg to showcase the one bladed prop and came back to home base to put his bird back in his barn before sunset...and he was so excited to tell us about his day.  That is what I love the most how we can share and it's not boasting its the awe of flight, the beauty of flight, the amazing just of flight.......

On Sunday he showed up and said to moi you need to fly the J-2 with that propeller on...and if you know me...I will fly anything anyone let's me.....I have flown his J-2 before, but not with a one bladed propeller.  He landed close to dusk on Sunday night, I didn't have much time and off I went to wander around the country side flying a 1936 J-2 with a one bladed propeller.....every time he let's me fly his J-2 I have the biggest smile on my face......I mean its from 1936!!!  IT's WAY COOL!!

It really is the time that we spend with one another, the loyalty of friendship, the laughter and ease of a shared passion that bring us together and I'm beyond thankful for those that are a part of my journey to explore the skies and be a bird.

I treasure the time that we can spend with Gene as it is truly pure to me. If you ever happen to stop by and the talk is boisterous or seems far fetched it could be what we call hangar etiquette..so come sit down and join us if you dare.

I included a few pictures of Gene's 1936 J-2 with a one bladed propeller along with a few I took in flight.

What do you think?

Final Amazing Day

Believe it or not I'm stumbing on what to post...you see these adventures I take are so deep a part of my soul..my experiences of putting myself out there, alone, with flight planning, sightseeing, exploring and succesfully getting back home is a journey unto itself. ..I highly  recommend it.

 

The last morning I arrived at the FBO to ready Girly Plane..and ironically I had no real idea of which way I was going to fly home. My buddy Pat said why not fly to Niagara Falls? I was like that is wayyyyyy to far away  you goof! Anyhow, I was sitting at the briefing table with my maps laid out and a few local guys/instructors stopped to ask me a few questions...(was I in the Citabria - yes; was I really flying alone - yes; where was I going - dunno - any ideas?

And, so this is how my trip back home came to be. I decided I should venture north past the Finger Lakes one final time to fly along Lake Ontario west bound to the biggest, baddest falls..Ms. Niagara.

I landed at numerous small airports, some had activity and most did not. The air was smooth as ice and I swear I could see 100 miles. Every once in awhile I caught myself looking south towards the lakes, to freeze frame the beauty my eyes took in.

 

When I approached Rochester, I was ready to connect with a soul and talked to them to transition their airspace as it is quite a busy airport.

Finally, I could see Buffalo and I didn't need to talk to them only stay on Lady Lake Ontario's beach. I was now only 12 miles out and I contacted Niagara tower and he gave me the go ahead and procedures to stay above 3500 with right pattern on 122.05..it was too easy, in 2 minutes I'm going to be flying over NIAGARA FALLS..WTH? ...now while I'm talking to him I saw the mist from the water and I was so excited, here was the bluest of blue days, sunny and no real winds...AND when I first approached (no lie) I had the biggest smile and kept saying this is probably one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen...I cannot believe I'm here.

  I hope we have the freedom to continue to fly over the Falls and visit...everyone and I mean EVERYONE should visit the Falls....

I contacted Buffalo as now I was going to need to go through their airspace towards home and my hubster.

I stopped at a real neat airport called Akron in New York, what a great group of folks..they greeted me, fueled me up and I got to see some cool taildraggers..ended up staying close to an hour...this is the beauty of hopping airports, you just never know what will be...I so dig it!

 

I made my way south over some very beautiful mountainous terrian...flew over the PA Grand Caynon, what a marvel that is.

 

I landed one more time, called hubby and I was so dang giddy..he said what? I couldn't wait to tell him what I saw today but I insisted it had to be face to face..lol..

One more hour and I would be home, where what they say is true.."where my heart is".

 

I tallied up my trip and here is what I came up with...about 25 landings (not sure I remembered all of them..damn memory) about 15 hours of airtime and close to 1000 miles..a wee bit much for 3 days..being I was grounded due to weather for one day...I'm still tired today..yet I flew over 2 hours today..hey if the weather is good ya gotta do it, right? I can sleep some other day...

 

My final thoughts-

I became addicted to flying and its all my hubster's fault as he introduced me to his love- LOL- he loves that we share this passion..he has created a monster as I love flying. Flying really does transport me above the world where the natural beauty is always amazing.   I have only a few very close buds that get my zaininess and passion for flying/life and this years trip I was missing that I couldn't share my adventures with my one bud during my trip...he has razed me for years that I would never get to Ithaca...well there is something to be said for a little bit of taunting...

I will continue to be silly and have fun being ME. I would love to have you tag along...its what we should do..share our goals/desires/passions.

Pictures..oh my do I have pictures...

1. The smaller lakes in Ithaca. 2. Approaching Niagara Falls 3. Rainbow view 4. Canada to the left, US to the right 5. Falls 6. Lake Erie 7. Some gorge in NY..real cool 8. T-6 in Akron NY 9. Gorge again NY 10. PA Grand Canyon

It isn't time yet - patience

Today was something I cannot describe just yet.....my ears are ringing, I'm tired beyond tired and I need lots of sleep.

A few of you asked and it must wait...patience peeps.....I promise it will be worth it.

What has been most special is those of you that have reached out and kept in touch, I dig that we care for one another..far away or close...new friend or old it's what I find most special in today's world.  I truly feel blessed and cared about.....thank you.

I treasure those of you that get what this journey is all about......tomorrow...I will spill.

Goodnight

I attached one picture that I took of the lady called Lake Ontario - she capivated me, I cannot tell you why but it was because of her I went West.

Its your dreams that matter

It's not the moments you have left its how you live each moment..at least that's what I try to live by.

I'm sitting here eating dinner trying to think of what to say on my blog tonight...funny so many thoughts are going through my mind.

I have been thinking of this adventure that I had today for a very long time...its still stuns me that folks wonder why I am flying solo...I know its unusual to see a woman pilot for most however, it really isn't as I know quite a few female pilots.

When I embark flying it is quite a surreal feels right kinda thing.  I love being above the earth and being in control and I'm okay with that.

Today, I drove out to the airport ready to get going on my flying adventure I had planned ..I locked my keys in the rental car first..then I went out to do a through pre-flight  on my (ice- covered plane) gheez..it was 32 degrees...I noticed a hose sitting on my cowling and it was supposed to be attached to my fairly new one year muffler??  At least it wasn't supposed to be connected to my carburator...therefore we decided to just pull the hose off....I always run things by my hubster, its how we roll...meant no heat for me but I was okay with that I wanted to fly.

I headed north as I had a lady named Lake Ontario I wanted to meet and she came upon my eyes with a vengence..sounds simple but it was amazing and went on forever. The 1000 islands were waiting for us and I weaved in and out of the Canadian airspace (and before you think I'm rebel - its ok as long as you don't land) I wanted to stay in the air and I realized I had to land as I had flown over two hours. I fueled up and off we went...I flew back to the islands..spell bound again..

I headed south back to Ithaca and stopped at a few more airports, chatting with fellow pilots...so cool to share our passion. When I came back to Ithaca I was dragging and all I was thinking of was a nap..in my car? The people at the FBO in Ithaca have gone above and beyond going out of there way with maps, ideas and help as needed.  They told me they had a clean bed in the back for corporate pilots?...lol - I crashed for a nappy and fueled girly plane up again...it was sunset chasing time. I hunted for her and the moon joined us and at the end of my flight I barely made it back to the airport before dark to land...when I tied her down and left all I could think of "I wish Bar" (my hubster) were here with me. No worries, he doesn't like adventure trips and I do...my hubby gets it...flying is MY/OUR thing.

Pictures- 1. My first view of Lady Lake Ontario 2. This island located in Canada greeted me and was fun as I dig windmills 3.. St. Lawrence river where the 1000 acres are.

Reach for your passion and dream on!

Change can be GOOD

I had a flying day all mapped out and wellllll it didn't happen and I'm okay with that. I am learning to adapt when my plans go awry.

I checked Ithaca weather in the morning and 800 overcast = no go...so, I grabbed a map of the local waterfalls my new friends at the FBO gave me and headed off in the sunshine I could see peaking through.

I ended up hiking at the first waterfall with a few folks, its so easy to strike up conversations with people, I SO dig hearing there story...and then I went to a number of other State Parks and hiked until my back and legs were like rubber..haha...gotta say that at each stop I would check Ithaca weather...rain and low ceilings prevailed. I kept wishing it would change however, around lunch time I decided that if you are not going to be able to be a bird...maybe just maybe I should go see and visit a few wineries. It turned out to be a fun afternoon afterall.

Tomorrow will be the big day...I'm going to do my own thing and see if I can go after my flying goal of simply having fun with enthusiasm that I find myself growing towards in a big way.

I attached a few pics that I took and I'll label them...1. I came upon this circle of rocks which I really liked and being curious- wondered why? 2. This large rock formation along the trail caught my attention 3. This Mill is from 1917 located at the Robert Treman State Park where I hiked to see the most beautiful waterfall - Lucifer 4. Lucifer the loudest and tallest Waterfall I saw today 5. The first Winery called Americana Vineyards - had a great Cab Sauvignon 6. I stopped in town for a bit and saw this guy yelling at these women...wth? .Cornell is known for Women Sculling....cool to watch.

Our First Day

Since I started flying I have always wanted to fly up here to see the "lakes" in Ithaca, New York no real reason just because. I took off from home base excited and flew along the first 100 miles or so in mild choppy air and then I saw the point I have never been past and looming ahead was some high mountains that seemed to go on forever. After I landed I seemed to have ants in my pants. I asked the FBO (who happen to be a fantastic group of folks) to fuel her up as I was going to eat a snack and Girly Plane and I had to head out again  When you wander around the skies up here its lake upon lake upon lake with unbelievable ruffs along each lake. Funny after flying over two hours up I ended up circling a few sail boats and I didn't want to land. The sky was slowly saying good night and I made my way back to my home base. I tied Girly Plane down and tapped her cowling...you did a great job! This might seem silly to you, but its what we do, those that fly..By this time I was starving and near death and it was time to leave the airport. Funny, I have a very hard time leaving my "real" home base airport and I was lingering here in Ithaca as a Dash commuter plane was taking off..such cool planes. My buddy Chris said I had to go to the Ithaca Brewery..yuck..hehe...I headed out and my GPS took me to some abandoned buildings? WTH? I couldn't locate it and phone number didn't work..really? I drove to the hotel and THANK GOD they helped me..I was breathing shallow and my lips were blistering and I was parched...they had moved and nothing had been updated in GPS. Go figure..in any case Ms. Erin picked my dinner and beer for the closing to a great begining of my trip and I had a full belly and had some great beer...I seem to be an idiot when it comes to posting pictures..so I will label them. 1. The spot that I have never been past while flying-was wierd and I don't know why. 2.These windmills greeted me in New York - I really dig them. 3. My first view of Cayuga Lake the longest lake 4. A large winery I marveled at. 5. I found this really cool falls on Seneca Lake. 6. The best place to have a beer..I ended up sitting outside and enjoyed the crowd and chilly temps.